2 AGENDA The week ahead: MONDAY Economic outlook Launch of the Kenya African Health Markets for Equity (AHME) programme at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Commemoration The United Nations Information Centre hosts the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the United Nations Headquarter Complex in Nairobi. Conference Anti-Corruption East Africa 2014 Forum will be held at Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi. TUESDAY Agribusiness meet Agribusiness Congress East Africa will be held at the Serena Hotel Dar es Salaam to discuss opportunities available for the growth of the sector. WEDNESDAY Powering Africa A three day “Powering Africa” dialogue will be held at Hilton Doubletree -Dar es Salaam. It coincides with the launch of US President Barack Obama’s “Power Africa” initiative. THURSDAY Mining Summit A two day Mining Summit will be held at the 9th Orange Hotel in Cape Town to discuss efficiency, sustainability and growth of Africa’s mining sector MARTIN SORRELL: The WPP chief executive said lack of flexibility in Europe’s labour market was holding its economic recovery back. EU is amajor trading partner of the EAC. He was at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos. CATHERINE SAMBAPANZA: Former mayor of Bangui was last week elected as interim president of the Central African Republic tasked with ending months of sectarian killings and guiding the country through to elections. BAN KI-MOON: UN secretary-general has warned the crisis on the Korean peninsula may become “uncontrollable.” A statement from Pyongyang’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee indicated they were heading for a thermo-nuclear war. GOODLUCK JONATHAN: The Nigerian president has replaced 12 ministers he sacked last year as he seeks to consolidate his power amid party wrangles. He is facing a crisis centred on his intention to run for another term in 2015. UHURU KENYATTA: Kenya’s president has been invited to attend the first US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in August. The invite is a surprise — the relationship between Kenya and the West has been sour since elections in March 2013. FACES IN THE NEWS The EastAfrican NEWS JANUARY 25-31,2014 THE INTEGRATION TRACKER Monitoring the progress of the East African Community Positive developments Negative developments Neutral Involve more women in integration, trade — experts The lack of recognition of the role of women in regional integration undermines Africa’s efforts to enhance regional trade, experts have warned. Marcelo M. Giugale, director World Bank Africa Region said unclear regulations, monopolies and corruption are the main challenges facing women. “Removing the three obstacles would be particularly beneficial for poor women, as they carry on most of the small-scale, cross-border commerce within the region,” he said. Women are more involved in small scale commerce WEBSITE www.theeastafrican.co.ke EDITORIAL Nairobi Email: eastafrican@ke.nationmedia.com P.O. Box 49010 GPO Nairobi 00100 Tel: 328 8406-10 Dar es Salaam Email: theeastafrican@tz.nationmedia.com Tel: 2119657-9 Fax: 232781 ADVERTISING, CIRCULATION, SUBSCRIPTIONS ARUSHA Nassib Majamba, Summit Centre, 3rd Floor, Sokoine Road, P.O Box 14146, Arusha Tel +255 272 544505 nmajamba@tz.nationmedia.com DAR ES SALAAM Prosper Lawrence, Harbour View Towers, 4th Floor, Samora Avenue P.O Box 8101, Dar es salaam Tel +255 22 2119657/8/9 Fax +255 22 2115566 plawrence@tz.nationmedia.com KAMPALA Richard Senkwale, Crested Towers, Short Tower, 1st Floor, Hannington Road, P.O. Box 6100, Kampala. Tel: 232771/2, Fax: 232781 E-mail: rsenkwale@ug.nationmedia.com KIGALI 13th Floor, Kigali City Tower Tel: +250784336355, Kigali. TEAAdvertisingRW@rw.nationmedia.com NAIROBI ADVERTISING AND CIRCULATION Connie Mwangemi, Nation Centre, Kimathi Street, P.O. Box 49010 00100-Nairobi, Tel: +254 20 3288149 E-mail: cmwangemi@ke.nationmedia.com NAIROBI SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: 328 8554/6/7, Fax: (254-2) 214047/214565 E-mail: eastafricansubs@nation.co.ke Tanzania in drive to cut mother-to-child HIV transmission The Tanzanian government is embarking on a campaign aimed at reducing the mother-tochild HIV transmission rate from the current 15 per cent to 5 per cent by next year, the Citizen reports. According to Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Seif Rashid, the government has developed the National Plan for Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV. Government in new policy to curb transmission Business Council to hold meetings with heads of state The East African Business Council will in the first quarter of 2014 hold high-level meetings with each of the presidents of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to address challenges facing the business community in the region, officials said in a statement. The concerns include expediting the use of IDs as a travel document, the reduction of the cost of air transport and harmonisation of visa fee requirements across the EAC. Heads of state to discuss challenges to business Dar tax body to introduce new customs systems The Tanzania Revenue Authority will introduce a new customs clearance procedure in March to improve the tracking of goods and speed up clearance. Tiagi Kabisi, the Tanzania Commissioner for Customs and Exercise said the new system would lead to improvement of controls. Port of Dar es Salaam will be one of the points EALA MPs on a visit to Kenya last year. Picture: File EALA MPs now ea≥n $14,908 in pay, pe≥ks By CHRISTABEL LIGAMI Special Correspondent will be the highest paid in the region and second only to Nigeria on the continent following the approval of a $1,208 increment to their basic salary beginning July. The MPs are expected to T earn $6,408 as their basic salary, up from $5,200 following an approval by the EAC Heads of State at their November Summit in Kampala that the increment be included in the 2014/2015 budgetary allocations to the EALA. In the proposed EAC budget, EALA has been allocated $14.7million, 6.3 per cent higher than their 2013/ 2014 budget. The MPs are entitled to a sitting allowance of $400 per day and medical/travel insurance. Considering that the aver- age sitting days for the MPs during plenary each month is 12 days, their allowances add up to $4,800. But they would rake in about $8,500, given that when not in plenary, they do committee work. The MPs will now take home $14,908 per month, including the allowances. Apart from the basic sala- ries the MPs receive from the EAC Secretariat, they are given facilitation al- he East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) lowances by their states of origin for activities such as sensitising citizens on EAC matters as required by the EALA regulations. “The second EALA earned the same perks but the first assembly started on a lower figure, at one point as low as $1,200,” said an EAC official. “The second assembly raised it following a strong appeal that they were regional legislators deserving better pay.” So far, EALA MPs have enjoyed better pay compared with other national Parliaments in the region apart from Kenya. The Kenyan politicians were the highly paid in the region and second in Africa after the Nigerian lawmakers with a basic monthly salary of $13,740 that is subject to an annual increment of 8 per cent. Their Nigerian counterparts, the global leaders, earn a monthly salary of about $15,800, excluding the allowances. Uganda MPs earn a monthly salary of $8,715, Tanzania $7,266 while Rwanda MPs earn $1,271 per month. In the EAC budget, each partner state makes an annual contribution towards the functioning of the secretariat, Court of Justice, the Inter-University Council and EALA. EALA is the legislative organ of the East African